For a long time, web development was considered an excellent field to work in. For years, people have been making a living by working in web development, but is it still a field worth looking into if you're not already in it?
What does the future look like for web development? Where is the industry going? And in 2023, is web development still in demand?
What Is the Future of Web Development?
Before you can say whether or not web development is still in demand now, you really need to look forwards and attempt to predict where it's going since even if web development is in demand in 2023, it's not worthwhile if that demand is going to immediately disappear in 2024 and beyond.
There are a few areas that aspiring web developers may want to focus on. Mobile, for one, is a key area as the majority of websites are visited from mobile devices. Similarly, progressive web apps (PWAs), blockchain, single page applications (SPAs), and motion UI are all areas expected to become more important in the future.
Data is becoming more important in web development, too, so those in education or training to become web developers will likely need a greater focus on data analysis during their studies. Fortunately, most degree programs focusing on web development or similar will provide students with access to the appropriate courses in data science and data analysis.
Finally, future web developers will also likely be expected to be well-versed in a combination of user experience (UX), user interface (UI), visual design, HTML, CSS, frontend programming languages such as JavaScript, and backend programming languages like C#, Java, PHP, and Ruby.
Naturally, different roles will require different skills and training, but these are all areas that aspiring web developers should be looking at. There's no point in getting really good at programming in JavaScript if you're going to spend most of your time in a job as a web developer where you work mainly with HTML.
Will Web Development Be in Demand in the Future?
We've seen which areas of web development will be highly sought after in the future, but will web development be in demand in general?
For web development to be in demand, there need to be jobs for web developers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook is good with the industry expected to grow more than the national average.
Tens of thousands of web development jobs are expected to be added to the industry each year for the rest of the decade. With close to 18,000 new web developer jobs each year, there'll need to be new web developers to fill these roles.
As web development relies heavily on technology, new roles also start popping up as new technologies are developed so there will likely be web development roles in the future that don't even exist yet.
Some have gone so far as to say that web development won't technically even exist in ten years. That doesn't mean that web development is a dead-end or that web developers will be out of work, it just means that the roles will have changed so much because of new technologies that whatever we call web development in the 2030s will likely look nothing like what we call web development now.
What Is the Future of Web Development for the Next 5 Years?
For anyone looking to study web development, the next five years are crucial, especially since they need to aim for where web development is going to be rather than where it currently is.
With most degree programs lasting four years, a five-year forecast for web development should certainly be something that any aspiring web developer thinks about before they start considering starting a career in web development.
So what can we expect to see happen to web development in the next few years?
We've already mentioned some of the areas expected to grow or become more important in web development, but there are also a few areas that are expected to become particularly important in the next five years.
Virtual reality and augmented reality, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and movement or motion user interface are all interesting areas for web developers in the coming years.
While not every web developer will be expected to be involved in all of these areas, those who have some expertise in these areas will be in demand in the future.
What Is the Future Technology in Web Development?
We've already seen a few examples of technologies and aspects of web development that are likely to have even greater importance in the future. With anything heavily involved with technology, change is inevitable. Here are just a few areas of technology that will likely impact web development in the future.
Cybersecurity, for example, is already a huge part of web development and in the future, advances in this area will become even more important. This is also an area where web developers and cybersecurity specialists may end up overlapping.
Depending on the role and the organization, knowledge and understanding of both may be important. Some companies may choose to have dedicated web developers and cybersecurity specialists whereas others may have individuals working in both areas.
Voice recognition is another technology that will likely advance and change how we interact with the internet. We're already familiar with Alexa and Siri, but this technology looks like it's going to continue to play a greater role within the web, which means web developers will also need to be aware of it or even well-versed in it.
AI is another area that is set to change how a lot of people work. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are making huge advancements all the time and web developers may also need to become very familiar with them.
Will Web Development Be a Good Career in the Future?
With the projected growth of the industry and the new areas that are set to become a part of web development, choosing a career in web development is both a good idea now and a good idea in the future.
As with any industry, there will always be mention of a career being killed off by technology or automation, but web development, which is closely involved with technological innovation looks set to be very safe from changes.
While technological advances will certainly change the landscape of web development and tools can make web development easier in certain regards, it doesn't look like career prospects in web development will be harmed.
Web development might change, but as a career choice, it looks set to be a fairly safe one for at least ten years. Every web developer is likely to be safe if they're starting their career now or are a student looking to graduate and start in web development and design in five years!
How Long Will Web Developers Be in Demand?
You can never say for certain how long a job will be in demand, but the demand for web developers is unlikely to disappear overnight.
We've seen that the forecasts for web development look good. The next decade looks good for web development and we could say with some confidence that web developers will be in demand until 2030 at the earliest.
We can't say exactly what the future will hold and beyond that, it's much harder to make predictions, especially without knowing exactly what technology will come along, but even if something completely unforeseen changes web development, the role of web developer will simply change and adapt to it rather than disappearing completely.
A web developer beyond 2030 won't necessarily have a role anything like what they have now, but there'll still be a demand for them, even if the required skills and qualifications for web development have completely changed. Again, it's safe to say that if you're interested in studying web development now, your career will still be safe by the time you graduate in four to five years.
Is Web Development Worth it Now?
Web development is currently an excellent career to have. The demand is already there for web developers and the projections look great. Demand for the next decade is expected to steadily grow, and the industry is considered quite lucrative.
Currently, web developers earn an average of $82,000 a year in the US and though entry-level roles earn closer to $72,000, they can reach the average web developer salary in around five years. Those with a decade of experience in the industry can earn over $100,000 a year. In either case, being a web developer or working in web design will command a salary according to your level, experience, and the skills required for the role.
All of these amounts are just averages and there will be variations according to where you work, who you work for, the exact role, and several other factors. No two jobs will be the same in web development, but the salaries are good, the job prospects are good, and the future is bright for web developers or whatever web developers end up being in the future.
The demand for web developers is also reflected in education so there are lots of college programs for anyone looking to get into web development and also lots of options to specialize in all the different areas we've mentioned already.
If you need more help with working in web development or refining your skills as a web developer, don't forget that there's private tutoring available for everything from JavaScript to HTML and even tutors who can help you with finding jobs!
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